Latest SCI publications

Latest Projects

Research project (§ 26 & § 27)
Duration : 2024-05-01 - 2027-04-30

CircularFood aims at making the best possible use of regionally available food by-products and creating new high-quality products from side streams. In a circular approach, high-quality protein components are obtained from various side streams of food processing using optimized pre-treatment and extraction processes. Depending on the functional properties, further processing and, if necessary, modification takes place with the aim of realizing a use as food or food ingredient. The assessment of possible uses is accompanied by an evaluation of economic efficiency and sustainability.
Research project (§ 26 & § 27)
Duration : 2023-12-01 - 2026-11-30

Transforming our food system towards sustainability is an important starting point for achieving the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the use of animal-based ingredients and foods contributes to global environmental problems, the shift towards alternative protein sources is an important lever for achieving these global agreements. The protein transition describes this shift from animal protein sources to alternative protein sources such as plant-based or precision fermented proteins. Precision fermentation in particular offers promising solutions to the challenge of producing proteins sustainably, efficiently and with less environmental impact, but at the same time with specific functionality. Milk and its proteins are at the centre of research and commercial activities in the field of precision fermentation, especially cheese as an important application area for these proteins. A major obstacle to the development of innovative food products from precision fermented milk proteins is a lack of understanding of the relationship between food structure and texture. Specifically, there is a major scientific gap in understanding how the physico-chemical properties of emulsion interfaces and their structure affect food texture. The lack of understanding of this relationship leads to difficulties on several levels, particularly in the application and use of proteins produced by precision fermentation. Dairy proteins are often used as functional ingredients in foods and play a key role in determining the final texture, structure and other sensory properties of the food. However, the physicochemical properties of the oil-water interphase can influence the behaviour and performance of these proteins in food systems. Without a clear understanding of this relationship, it can be difficult to predict how milk proteins will behave in different food applications, which can lead to inconsistent or sub-optimal results.
Research project (§ 26 & § 27)
Duration : 2024-03-01 - 2024-10-31

During silage fermentation butyric acid-producing clostridia can multiply as a result of incorrect fermentation. As contaminants, clostridia enter the barn environment with the silage and are transferred into the raw milk during milking. This subsequently leads to serious quality defects in dairy products, in particular to undesirable gas formation during hard cheese ripening. Monitoring of silage quality with regard to clostridial contamination is therefore of great importance in order to avoid the introduction of clostridia into cheese production. As part of the project, a molecular biological detection method for clostridia is to be developed for long-term use in the quality control of silage.

Supervised Theses and Dissertations